Bu sine & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Columbia and Montour County area is fortunate to have a diversity of industries to keep the economy stable and positioned for growth Healthcare, higher education, and well-established manufacturers are the basis of an economic core that is less susceptible to turbulent economic times This diversity also provides a wide range of employment opportunities The area’s assets combined with abundant business resources provide an environment that supports existing employers and foster new business development

A comprehensive network of support services exits to assist the growth of businesses ranging f rom home-based startups to large manufacturers. The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce serves as a clearinghouse to connect employers with resources.

Economic/Industrial Development

Professionally staffed economic development organizations can shepherd a project f rom beginning to end, assisting with site selection and development, zoning and permitting, inf rastructure, logistics, and funding.

• Berwick Industrial Development Association (B.I.D.A.) – bida.com

• DRIVE – driveindustry.com

Downtown Enhancement

Safe, vibrant downtowns are at the heart of our communities. These organizations work to attract people into the central business districts, support the small businesses located there, and encourage new business development.

• Danville Business Alliance – visitdanvillepa.org

• Downtown Bloomsburg Inc. –downtownbloomsburg.org

• Community Strategies Group – csgpa.org

Business Services & Entrepreneurship

Local small business development centers (SBDC) offer f ree consulting for entrepreneurs and regularly hold a variety of f ree or nominal-fee courses.

Montour County is served by the Bucknell University SBDC, and Columbia County is served by the Wilkes University SBDC SBDCs also host local business incubators and shared workspaces bloomu.edu/zeigler-business-consul ting

Commonwealth University’s Zeigler Business Consulting offers packages to address marketing, accounting, information technology, finance, management, leadership, and many other issues troubling businesses of all sizes as well as non-profit organizations.